Infectious Diseases News and Research

RSS

Researchers recommend 'watchful waiting' over antibiotic treatment for many children with ear infections

As middle ear infections increase during the winter months, researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) suggest that in many cases the most appropriate treatment is "watchful waiting" instead of using antibiotics immediately.

20 Dec 2010

Study finds second skin barrier structure may play a role in eczema development

Like a fence or barricade intended to stop unwanted intruders, the skin serves as a barrier protecting the body from the hundreds of allergens, irritants, pollutants and microbes people come in contact with every day.

20 Dec 2010

NIAID renews funding of PRIME to develop mathematical models to study influenza infection

Mount Sinai School of Medicine today announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has renewed funding of the Program for Research on Immune Modeling and Experimentation. This program seeks to develop easy-to-use, predictive mathematical models to better understand patterns of infection among individuals affected by the H1N1 and 1918 influenza viruses and other related viruses.

17 Dec 2010

NASDAQ OMX Stockholm promotes Medivir to Mid Cap List

Medivir AB, the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of high-value treatments for infectious diseases, announces that NASDAQ OMX Stockholm is promoting Medivir AB (MVIR B) from the Small Cap to the Mid Cap List. The change is effective as of January 3, 2011.

17 Dec 2010

COPAN announces US patent for evoluton in flocked swab technology

COPAN has enjoyed widespread use of its flocked swabs line, branded as FLOQSwabs, in microbiology for the collection and transportation of bacterial and viral samples.

17 Dec 2010

HIV patient cured!

German researchers working with stem cell therapy have claimed they have cured an American patient with HIV and leukemia. Experts are wary of accepting the development at its face value and caution that there is a need for further research. Dr David Scadden, a co-director of the Harvard University Stem Cell Institute added, “Cured is a strong word. But this is very encouraging… from all indications, there was no residual virus… It’s as good an outcome as one could hope for.”

16 Dec 2010

Akonni receives $150,000 Phase I NSF grant to assess feasibility of developing lab-on-a-film microarray device

Akonni Biosystems, a molecular diagnostics company that develops, manufactures, and plans to market sophisticated molecular testing devices for diagnosing infectious diseases and human genetic disorders, announced today the receipt of a $150,000 Phase I Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This initial round of funding from NSF will enable Akonni to assess the feasibility of developing a lab-on-a-film microarray device that can be manufactured in a reel-to-reel format.

16 Dec 2010

AmoyDx receives SFDA approval for its EGFR and BRAF mutations detection kits

Amoy Diagnostics announced today that its EGFR and BRAF mutation detection kits received market approval from China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). The SFDA is the competent authority for regulating drugs and in vitro diagnostics in mainland China. The approval allows AmoyDx to market the EGFR and BRAF tests for clinical use in China.

15 Dec 2010

New nanotechnology based technique to detect pneumonia within minutes

University of Georgia researchers have developed a technique that can diagnose a common type of pneumonia within minutes, potentially replacing existing tests that can take several days for results.

15 Dec 2010

Profectus' GENEVAX IL-12 pDNA adjuvant improves vaccine-induced response rate in Phase I HIV study

Profectus Biosciences, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against infectious diseases and cancers, announced today that its GENEVAX™ IL-12 pDNA adjuvant has significantly improved the vaccine-induced response rate in a Phase I clinical study of an experimental DNA vaccine for the prevention of HIV infection.

15 Dec 2010

Sniffer rats detect TB more accurately than traditional microscopic analysis

Trained giant African rats increased positive TB detection rates by 44 percent over microscopy, the most commonly-used technique for diagnosing TB, according to a new study released in the December issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

15 Dec 2010

Flu vaccination during pregnancy prevents infant hospitalization

A three-year study by Yale School of Medicine researchers has found that vaccinating pregnant women against influenza is over 90 percent effective in preventing their infants from being hospitalized with influenza in the first six months of life.

15 Dec 2010

Program reduces cervical cancer deaths among HIV-infected women in Zambia

A new study undertaken in Zambia shows that, using setting-appropriate human resources and technology, morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer among HIV-infected women can be reduced. The study’s lead author is Dr Groesbeck Parham, Professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia’s Cervical Cancer Prevention Program. The research was published in the December issue of HIV Therapy.

14 Dec 2010

New theory explains spread of infectious diseases

New research using human-networking theory may give a clearer picture of just how, exactly, infectious diseases such as the common cold, influenza, whooping cough and SARS can spread through a closed group of people, and even through populations at large.

14 Dec 2010

Clinical trail shows 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine safe and effective in asthma patients

Results from a government-sponsored clinical trial of inactivated 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in people with asthma indicate that a single dose of vaccine was safe and induced a strong immune response predictive of protection.

14 Dec 2010

Vical's Vaxfectin adjuvant boosts immune response of DNA-based vaccines against cancer

Vical Incorporated announced today that the company's Vaxfectin® adjuvant has significantly boosted the immune response of DNA-based vaccines against a range of pathogens and cancer in preclinical models from rodents to non-human primates. Vaxfectin® has demonstrated similar effects with protein- and peptide-based vaccines in preclinical models.

13 Dec 2010

Origin of Haiti cholera epidemic traced to South Asia

The strain of cholera currently sweeping through post-earthquake Haiti originated in South Asia, conclude scientists who did a rapid genetic analysis of bacteria collected from Haitian patients. The finding supports the notion that the cholera bacteria fueling the outbreak arrived on the island via recent visitors.

13 Dec 2010

First-ever Prophylactic Cancer Vaccine Conference to be held in Tempe, Arizona

World-leading scientists, ethicists, policymakers, and cancer patient advocates will gather at Arizona State University for the first-ever Prophylactic Cancer Vaccine Conference in Tempe, Ariz., March 16-18, 2011. The conference will be a premier forum to discuss the latest developments in a radical new approach to battling cancer: the development of cancer vaccines aimed at protecting healthy individuals from the disease.

13 Dec 2010

New DNA-based testing technology for tuberculosis treatment

The driving force behind the rapid tuberculosis test that received World Health Organization endorsement this week is Dr. David Alland, chief of the Division of Infectious Disease at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.

13 Dec 2010

Study finds Haitian cholera strain resembles one from South Asia, carries mutation that increases severity

"Detailed genetic tests confirm that the cholera strain that has killed more than 2,000 people in Haiti came from South Asia and most closely resembles a strain circulating in Bangladesh," according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Reuters reports (12/9).

13 Dec 2010